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As sports icons go, no member of the Big Ten (or any other conference) can match UCLA, whose Hall of Fame features Jackie Robinson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Arthur Ashe and Lew Alcindor, “FloJo” and “The Wizard of Westwood.”
Today, in the first of a four-part series introducing readers in Big Ten country to the conference’s four newest members, we convened a special panel to help tell the Bruins’ story.
1. Scooch over, Michigan. The Big Ten will soon have a new No. 1 in two major categories.
2021 Urbana High alumna BANAN GARADA, who’s on track to earn her UCLA bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering in 2025: “UCLA is the most applied to school in the nation,” with 145,904 applicants — 8.8 percent of which were accepted — in 2023. That’s 58,883 more than No. 10 Michigan, the current Big Ten leader (17 percent acceptance rate).
“UCLA has also produced the greatest number of Olympic medalists from public colleges in the U.S. and Olympians will be hosted on campus for the 2028 L.A. Olympics.”
The Bruins’ 270 medalists headed into this summer’s Paris Olympics include 136 golds. Michigan (155 medalists, 71 golds) and Ohio State (118, 52) lead the Big Ten as it stands now.
2. It can’t top Michigan-Ohio State for tradition, but the Pac-12’s most heated rivalry will give any other a run for No. 2 in the new Big Ten.
UI engineering lecturer BRIAN MERCER, who holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA: “The rivalry with USC is a big thing. UCLA has a Bruin statue, and USC a Trojan warrior statue, on their respective campuses. The week before they play each other in football, students from each school camp out at their statue to prevent vandalism attempts, which are typically painting the opposing statue in the other team’s colors.
“Also, the Eight-Clap is the Bruins sports rally chant of choice. It is invoked frequently at home sports games and likely to be spotted at away games from traveling groups of students.
“Kobe Bryant could occasionally be spotted practicing or playing pickup games with students or the UCLA mens basketball team at the campus gym and basketball court facilities, during his time as a Laker.”
3. Going from UCLA to UIUC — or vice-versa — takes some getting used to, as professors on both sides can attest to.
UI astronomy professor JOAQUIN VIEIRA, who earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA: “The UCLA campus is very hilly. It seems like wherever you go, you have to go uphill to get there. The Illinois campus, however, is nearly topologically featureless, and one hardly ever even needs to go more than one or two steps up to access any part of campus.
“The seasons don’t come to the UCLA campus. It’s like a perpetual weird blend of spring and fall, only occasionally perforated with a weeklong storm that feels like the end of days.”
UCLA computer-science professor JASON CONG, who earned his master’s and Ph.D. from Illinois: “UIUC has two 15-week semesters each year while UCLA has three 10-week quarters each year. It means that UCLA students have 50 percent more midterm and final exams. Not sure if it has any impact on the student-athletes. It did take me some time to adjust to the pace at UCLA.”
4. The best-known Bruin of them all is a Purdue grad — and a heck of an athlete himself, becoming college basketball’s first three-time All-American. But, of course, John Wooden is more renowned for his teaching and coaching, from his Pyramid of Success to his 10 national titles at UCLA.
Fellow Basketball Hall of Famer BILL WALTON, who played on Bruins teams that won 88 straight games and back-to-back national championships: “UCLA can easily claim an endless list of people who have changed the world. In sports, that list would include Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Rafer Johnson, Jimmy Connors, J.D. Morgan and Ducky Drake. But of all the legends who have given so much, it is John Wooden, the former basketball coach, who has had the greatest impact on the largest number of people.
“John Wooden did not have the physical prowess that enables so many others to dominate their sport. Nor did he have a dominating, overwhelming personality to give him complete control over his world. What he had is a heart, brain and soul that put him in a position to inspire others to reach levels of success and peace of mind that we could never dream of reaching by ourselves.”
5. Half of Hollywood went to UCLA.
Among many others, that includes James Dean (dropped out after a semester) and James Franco (later taught film classes on campus), and the actors who played Mr. Spock and Mr. Sulu on the original “Star Trek.” One-time journalism major Carol Burnett is an alum. So are Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage, Rob Reiner and Mariska Hargitay.
6. Among the things that UCLA and Illinois’ share in common: Both are home to nationally renowned physics departments.
UI physics Professor and department head MATTHIAS GROSSE PERDEKAMP, who earned his Ph.D. in the subject from UCLA: “Knudsen Hall and Loomis Laboratory, home to the physics departments at UCLA and UIUC, are named after their most influential department chair/head.
“During World War II, Illinois’ Francis Wheeler Loomis helped lead the MIT radiation laboratory, which developed decisive radar technology for the war.
“A specialist in acoustics, UCLA’s Vern Oliver Knudsen designed most of the original Hollywood sound stages and during World War II researched submarine warfare for the U.S. Navy, helping to set up what is today the Navy Electronics Laboratory in San Diego.”
7. Just as many Big Ten alums haven’t exactly embraced the conference’s latest expansion, they’re not all gung-ho about L.A.-to-New Jersey road trips in California, either.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer ANN MEYERS DRYSDALE, who in 1974 became the first woman signed to a four-year athletic scholarship at UCLA: “I’m from a different time. My brother David played in the Pac 8. When I was at UCLA, the women had a completely different conference with UCLA, USC, San Diego State, Northridge, Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.
“We traveled by cars. The first time our team traveled by plane was back east my senior year to New York, Maryland and North Carolina.
“Today, the truth is, it is all about money for football. I feel for the student-athlete that has to travel cross-country and then play schools they are not familiar with.
“Other sports, along with football, I hope will have charter flights. But it will be a grind with weather in the Midwest and East and how flights will be affected.
“TV is a huge part — and the Pac-12 Network seemed like a failed attempt in getting schools and athletes recognized nationally and making the money that other conferences were, and are, making.”
8. They’re proud of their many academic offerings at UCLA — and for good reason. For seven years running, the university of 45,000 has been ranked as the country’s top public school by U.S. News & World Report.
Former UI professor and Ph.D. recipient TOBY HIGBIE, director of UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment: “UCLA is the only UC campus with an undergraduate major in labor studies (one of 140 majors offered). The program connects students to the vibrant and creative community of organizers, policy researchers and union members who are shaping the future of work in Los Angeles and beyond.”
9. Wooden’s aren’t the only Bruin teams with national championship trophies in the cabinet.
Only one university — private Stanford — has more NCAA Division I team titles than UCLA’s 123, a bunch of which have come in sports not familiar to Big Ten fans: men’s volleyball (21), men’s tennis (16), men’s water polo (12), women’s softball (12), men’s basketball (11), men’s track (eight), women’s water polo (eight), women’s gymnastics (seven), women’s track (five), men’s soccer (four), women’s volleyball (four), women’s golf (three), men’s golf (two), men’s gymnastics (two), women’s beach volleyball (two), women’s soccer (two), women’s tennis (two), baseball (one) and men’s swimming (one).
The old Big Ten’s NCAA team title leader was Penn State with 53, including 14 in fencing and two in women’s lacrosse.
10. Beware the transfer portal, future Big Ten football foes.
1965 UCLA grad ROBERT SHAPIRO, best known for fronting the ‘Dream Team’ that represented O.J. Simpson on murder charges: “When all the conference teams come to the Rose Bowl, be sure that many of the players are going to want to transfer to beautiful Southern California. Not only do we have an amazing campus and a great football program, but the best-looking cheerleading squad in the country.”
